The Shabbos Kitchen with Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport: Intro and Lesson 1

Intro to The Shabbos Kitchen Series

Join Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport as he guides you step by step through the laws of Shabbos (or Shabbat) as they apply in the kitchen.

Disclaimer: This series is not meant to take the place of having your own rabbi or of learning the laws of Shabbos regularly and in-depth. As with all areas of Torah, if you have any questions about the laws of Shabbos, you should direct them to your local Orthodox rabbi. If you do not have one, feel free to email Rabbi Rappaport at askrpr2@gmail.com.

Warming Food on Shabbos

Lesson 1: Getting to Know Your Blech

In this first lesson, Rabbi Rappaport introduces the laws of warming food on Shabbos, beginning with a demonstration of the “blech,” a metal sheet that covers the stove to separate the pots of food from the flame.

The goal is to make sure that nobody will adjust the flame, whether higher or lower, for the duration of Shabbos. to ensure this doesn’t happen, we need to do two things:

1. Cover the stove top
2. Cover or remove the knobs

It is preferable that the food is fully cooked before Shabbos.

However, if the food is not fully cooked:

1. One may not uncover and then cover the pot again
2. The pot may not be moved closer to the fire.

Tip! To keep your food for Friday night warm inside the oven, turn on the oven with enough time before Shabbos to ensure the food is hot and fully cooked. Then, right before Shabbos, turn off your oven and stick in your challahs. You can then leave the covered pans of food and challahs in the oven until you are ready to eat. The food in the pans should remain hot, and you’ll have delicious warm challahs for Friday night!

Lesson 2: Zones of the Blech >

Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport is a respected rabbi who received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva of Staten Island, under the tutelage of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He currently serves as a rabbi in Brooklyn, NY.

Since halachic opinions vary among the rabbis of different communities, Oorah and Rabbi Rappaport encourage you to direct any questions to, and get halachic guidance from, your local Orthodox rabbi. You may, however, rely on this video and email Rabbi Rappaport with questions in the interim, at askrpr2@gmail.com.

Shared as a zechus l’iluy nishmas Moshe Zeev ben Aryeh Leib